Web Author's Notes:
The 16th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was the first Union regiment to actually cross into Confederate territory, ultimately participating in the first official land battle of the war at Philippi, (West) Virginia, on June 3, 1861. This crossing took place from Bellaire, Ohio, to Benwood, (West) Virginia, and points east and south, on May 27, 1861.

The following article is from the Zanesville Daily Courier, dated May 30, 1861. It condenses information from the Wheeling (Virginia) Intelligencer and beings by describing the movement of the 16th Ohio into Virginia, two days earlier. The patriotic zeal is apparent as the hopes of a quick and glorious Union victory was prominent in the minds of loyalists everywhere. The print is somewhat difficult to read. A transcription will be provided as soon as possible.